The Shattering
by XkazewarriorX
Summary: A Lone Warrior. A Loud Thief. Their quest to find their friends. And the war that never ends.
1. The Meeting

It was a quiet life, with nothing to bother him. The war had been raging for years already, but to Kite, it wasn't a problem. He was to young to go to the war, and anyways, the war was in Ossyria. Like he would ever go there!

Kite got out of bed. Outside, he could hear giggling noobs rushing off to train at the Perion training grounds. Suckers. They would be knocked out at least ten times today, he estimated.

Ha. Well, at least he could go and hunt in peace after them.

Several hours later

GaspWheeze Kite gripped his fish-on-a-stick and whacked the axe-stump with a powerful ... um..._power_ strike. Haha. It growled and vanished.

"Gack! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!" someone shrieked. Kite grinned. Some noob was about to die. Even though Kite usually ignored these people, he found himself walking toward the voice. He grumbled to himself, slaying stumps and he passed.

-Flashback---

"_Kite, don't fear."_

"_But, Mom, what if I die? What I can't find anyone?" Little 6-year-old Kite was about to begin his training as a Dragon Knight. It would mark the beginning of his step into the outside world. _

"_Kite. Life will be hard. The path you choose is not an easy one, but who promised us days without rain, nights without moon, or years without sorrow? I promise you, the life of a warrior will be an honorable one, with many joys. Don't fear. Look, someone is already outside, waiting for you!" _

_Kite peeped outside; there was a boy outside waving and shouting excitedly. He had small blue eyes and black metro hair. _

"_Hey Kite!" And Kite's adventures with Aoshi began. _

-End Flahsback---

Kite gritted his teeth. Aoshi was gone, most likely dead. And now what? Was there any joy or honor for him? No! he thought.

He rounded the corner and to his surprise, it was a thief, not much lower level than he was. What was the thief doing here? At this time? However, the thief did not seem to sneaking and sneering like the villains he had heard of. In fact, he was actually fighting pretty valiantly. But if he was throwing stars, the monsters had surrounded him, so that he was unable to throw any. He was forced to fight with melee, uncommon for thieves others than bandits.

His blood dripped on the ground, running from many wounds. His face was twisted with pain. He was a lot younger than Kite. He glanced at Kite's direction. Kite flinched. The boy's eyes were a bright shade of amethyst. The boy grinned despite his wounds.

"Well, are you going to help or not?" Kite snapped back. His gloved hands gripped the end of his spear and began power-striking the stumps and boars. When the last of them lay dying on the floor, the boy collapsed. He panted as he got back his breath. Kite watched him with an amused face.

The boy came out of the gloom and sat on a green relaxer. "Whoa, I got to see a cleric or something soon. And recharge my stars, yeah. Thanks there, mate. By the way, who are you?"

"Cheeky aren't you?! Well, I'm Kite. And ha! I'm a warrior." Kite smirked.

"Yah, that's a bit obvious," smiled purple-eye-boy. "Well, anyways. I'm going to Ellinia to find a cleric or something, yeah." He got up, wobbled, and fell back on the ground. "Darn, looks like I'm not going anywhere." He undid one of the straps on his pack. Then he took a red potion and drunk it. "Well, I'll stay one night, yeah. Then, I'm leaving, yeah." He took a running jump and landed on a ledge above them. He continued to jump.

"Wait!!" shouted Kite, "You didn't tell me your name!" God, he sounded like a girl. The thief was already bounding off into the distance.

"I'm Khakx. Remember that."


	2. A Thousand Steps

"Mom. I'm home." Kite walked into his house and took off his helmet. God, those helmets were stiffly.

"Kite, welcome back. Did you level?" Kite shook his head. It was so hard to level nowadays, especially with the stress of job advancement coming up. He opened his mouth to tell his mother about Khakx instead, but closed it. It wasn't time, not yet.

"Mom. I decided to go and see more of the world now. You know, with the war and all, I thought maybe, I've hidden in my hole too long," amended Kite. A shadow flickered across Mother's face. Her thoughtful eyes grew dark. Kite knew that she was thinking about his father. Kite's father had died in the war.

"Well, Kite, looks like you're growing up," Mother stuttered. "I guess you can go."

"Really? Mom, that's great!" Kite's eyes lit up. His mother looked at him as he danced across the dining room. What a goof-off, she thought.

The Next Day

Kite yawned. And grinned. "I'm finally going to see to the world again," he sighed. "Oh, shoot!" He leaped out of bed and put on his armor. He laughed at the familiar old weight.

"Mom! I got to go!" He hesitated at the doorway. His mother stood in the hallway. There were tears in her eyes.

"Kite," she whispered. "Go well. A thousand steps lie before you. May the path you choose not be darked with blood of thy enemies. Go now, without fear, and let your feet lead you to where you are destined."

"Mom. Stop being soppy." Kite gave his mom a quick hug and stepped out. As he closed the door, he swore he heard a camera click.

An Hour Later

Kite sat down. And waited. And waited. And waited. "LIAR!!" he shrieked. The noob stared. "Where can he be?" mumbled Kite grumpily. Then he spotted a pair of purple eyes making for the exit of Perion.

"KHAKX!" shouted Kite. "AAAAARGH!!" The boy turned. His eyes were round with surprise.

"Oh, hi Kite. Whatcha doing here?"

"Following you!"

"Me? Why?"

"Smart one. You're not going to be traveling alone."

"Why not?"

"Forget the why nots! As far as I'm concerned, you should travel alone!"

"Oh, right. Great! I have someone to talk to!" Khakx grinned so innocently, Kite almost forgot his anger. "Yeah. Whoot!" Kite rolled his eyes as Khakx began a limbo-ish victory dance. Then he snapped back to reality.

"Oh. Did I mention that I sleep late?"

Haha. Short chapter. Anyways. This thing is on Scania. I'm sorry, other-world-people. Sorry, actually, nvm, I'm NOT sorry for that last cliff-hanger. Haha. Might upload more today. Bye!!

PS Review, pplz!!!


	3. A New Thought

"OoOoO... Sooo tired... so hungry..." Khakx moaned. "Kite, go on without me... I'll just..." Khakx plopped down on the ground, face-first. Kite sighed. It was a lovely morning, perfect for a brisk walk. But this last bum kept complaining, ruining both Kite and his own high spirits.

"Khakx. Wake up, lazy... wake up... we're almost there..." Kite felt like grabbing Khakx and flinging him into that river over there. Wait. WTH, why was there a river in Perion? An idea sparked up in Kite's mind.

"Hey, Khakx. I've got a plate of unagi. Want it?" Immediately, Khakx popped up. "None for youuuuuuuu!!!" crowed Kite. He set up a blue chair and popped on in his mouth. Khakx slithered up on his belly like a big black snake. Actually, he looked more like a little raccoon, thought Kite.

"Hey, Kite... Can I have some, too?" Kite ignored him. "Please? Silence PLEASE... PRETTY PLEASE WITH A CHEESECAKE ON TOP?" Khakx mumbled something. "Ok, fine. I promise I'll continue moving on after I eat it. Without complaining."

"Swear?" implored Kite, raising his eyebrows.

"SWEAR!!!" Kite handed him one. It was gone in a flash. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another.

"Ok, STOP!!!" Kite commanded. Khakx popped one more in his mouth before he got up.

"Righto! Come on, Kite, you slow-poke." Kite's eyes widened as Khakx dashed off on the road.

"Wait up!!!" shouted Kite. His heavy armor got the better of him, and he was much slower than the little thief.

Kite found the little thief facing a giant fire boar. Ok, so, fire boars are bad enough already, but we're talking HUGE. HONKING HUGE.

"Kite. This pig hates me." Hates him, HATES, HIM?!?!?, screamed Kite's mind, IT WANTS TO KILL YOU, GENIOUS!!! Still, he couldn't help marveling at Khakx's cool reaction to the situation at hand.

"Righto. Stand back and watch the pro." Kite lowered his pole-arm. The "pig" turned to Kite. Its flaming hot eyes met with Kite's cool ones. Olé, thought Kite.

It lifted its great flaming head. And roared a challenge to the skies. It slammed its large tusks together, causing a grinding sound to fill the air. It charged in almost slow-motion. A long, dramatic roar ripped out of its throat. Come on! Khakx leaped out of the way. Kite shouted and charged at the boar. They met head-on. The boar slammed into Kite's pole-arm, but Kite stepped slightly back so that the flaming epidermis of the boar did not touch him.

He gasped. He could feel the heat of the flames, striving for his face. It grew hotter as the boar began to process the spear in its throat. Its hot, rancid breath engulfed Kite's face, causing him to gag. Its mouth opened wider to bite Kite, its tough molars crunching through bone with a splintering crack. Kite screamed, but andreline forced him to push the spear deeper and deeper into the throat. And suddenly, the boar fell, blood gushing from its throat and at the base of its skull, where two throwing stars had pierced it.

"Kite? Are you okay? Kite, Kite, Kite..." Khakx's voiced slowly faded away as Kite blacked out.

Kite was running, despite the pain in his arm. Someone he knew was close, very close. He just had to find him. Somehow, he was in Sleepywood, running towards a hole in the undergrowth. Funny. He had never noticed that before. Kite crawled through, brambles scratching at his arms. Thank Kami for armor.

He thrust his head out. There was a maze of many twisting tunnels, winding stairs, hidden doors, and obstacles. Grimly he got up. He knew the way.

Kite continued to run, feeling the power of haste quicken his aching limbs. He cleaved an Evil-eye that stood in his way and continued to run. He opened the final door and looked inside. Everywhere, he could feel someone calling to him.

The door contained a lot of monsters, boars like the one he had fought, Evil-eyes, and Lupins. His heart sank. But then the earnest calling began again and he continued to run. _Kite! Kite!_ Almost a shock to him, he found himself blessed with Darksight, or at least a weak version of it. He dashed past.

Then, he grasped the ornate knob and found a monstrous Drake, twice as large as most, with an almost Balrog look around it. With a dread feeling of horror, he realized it was a hybrid. It turned his way. Kite bit his lip. _The space between the eyes!! The eyes!! _Yeah, how do I reach it? A ghost of an arrow pierced the named spot. Kite didn't wonder about it, but dashed under the drake and ran for the shadows at the other end of the room.

In the shadows, a thin pale teen was bound against the walls. But that black coat, disheveled and torn as it was, Kite knew it. And the sea-blue eyes, deeper and full of meaning. It was Aoshi.

"Aoshi! You're alive!" Kite could have sung for joy, he was so happy. Many memories swam before his eyes, both happy and sad. "How?"

"That's a story for another day. Kite. This is just a dream to you, but I'm alive. And I'm here. Waiting. Waiting for you."

"Kaito. Awaken now, Kaito." A very Japanese voice called Kite back to reality.

WHOA. Long chapter.

Ha-ha. Well, don't blame me for lack of monster knowledge. I'm a noob. If you want to suggest something better, review me! XD

And anyway, I only went to Sleepywood once. Cold wind blows So, uh, I don't know too much about it. And, um, a river in Perion. Don't (actually DO) ask me how I got it. Sorry for any typos; I type slow and bad.

Well, TTYL!


	4. The Great Awakening

This is very late upload! xD sorry guys, i forgot i had this account. :DDDDDDDDDDDD enjoys. and review.

this story is for myselffffff xD and kite and aoishi and hinotekage aka hinote. they are ze mainez characters, tho they are noobs. plz, dont search them up. :/

* * *

Kite opened his eyes slowly. A smiling cleric was standing over him. Her dazzling white hair shone in the last rays of the sun.

"Hello, are you feeling fine?" Her accent was very Asian, but very soothing. Kite looked at his mangled arm. It was wrapped tightly with white linen, with two sticks bound on either side. He shifted his arm slightly. A wave of pain overcame him, and he gritted his teeth.

"No, no! Don't move your arm!!" scolded the cleric. Kite knew not to. Another cleric (possibly a priest) came in. Much to Kite's relief, she talked normally.

"Good evening, Kite. How is your arm?" she smiled. Goodness, did all clerics have blinding white teeth?

"Fine, thank you. What happened?"

"That I cannot answer you. But I can tell you that your arm was badly broken and you lost a lot of blood. We had to set it, and mend the bone. Not a pretty sight. You should be thankful of magic; without it, you would have had to give up being a warrior. Which you might not have liked." The cleric got up and paced around the room.

Clerics were the only group of people who were not hostile towards each other in the war. They healed everyone, even thieves. That's why they were often prosecuted and killed, especially by the ice/lightning and fire/poison mages. But, clerics were more powerful than the other two, and were able to hold their own.

"Hmm. How long have I been here?"

--Meanwhile------

Khakx sat on the chair. It was really boring. Most of his wounds had already healed, but yet the clerics still wouldn't let him run around. Hello, this was a 'temple', he should be exploring it. What frustrated Khakx the most, though, was the fact that the clerics didn't know how to make unagi. It was devastating, really.

After several days (maybe several weeks) of total boredom, Khakx finally remembered something.

"Oh, yeaaah! Where's Kite?"

--Ten Minutes Later----

"It took you 5 days to realize that I still existed?!?!?"

"Ummm, weeell. . ." mumbled Khakx. He squirmed in the armchair beside Kite's bed. "It's . . . uh . . . kinda. . .hard to remember people..."

"WHAAAT!" Kite exploded. He leaped out of bed and stormed around the room. "Well, whether those clerics like it or not, I'm leaving tomorrow!!! I've had it with this sickly sweet goodness!" He grabbed his pack.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a whole group of clerics marched in. They all stopped in front of Kite and stared at him, though they did not make a move to stop his frenzied packing. They all had the same aura of light and goodness around them. But unlike the other ones, they did not smile, only stared at them with wise eyes. Kite sneaked a peek at them. They were all much...much... higher level than him. He tensed, wondering why their eyes all bored into him.

"Where is the brown-haired warrior? I need to see him." A clear bell-like voice sang through the suddenly quiet room. The clerics all parted to reveal a beautiful white haired girl.

Kite gasped as the aura of her magic enveloped him. He sank to his knees, bathing in her healing light. This was a priest, if there had ever been a priest. Her silvery white hair flowed out behind her back. She was clothed in the greatest finery Kite had ever seen white silk and lace with gold lining. Her eyes were the calmest shade of blue in all the lands of Victoria. The light around her was blindingly radiant. Out of the corner of his eye, Kite saw Khakx pop on a pair of sunglasses.

The moment she laid eyes on Kite, he felt a jolt of energy passing between them. He flinched, but the girl had a much more dramatic response.

She gasped and clutched at the sides of her head, uttering small yelps of words that Kite could not understand. The clerics – or priests, apparently – understood, though, and clustered around her, ready to support her if she fell. The slim girl rocked to and fro and shimmering tears beaded on her long lashes. She writhed convulsively for a few more minutes before she opened her eyes. The priests hurriedly backed away... and none too soon.


	5. The Prophecy

A blast of pure power rippled through the room, shattering glass and wood. The priests quickly put up a mana shield. Unfortunately, Kite and Khakx were not included. Khakx yelped as Kite's cursing forming was blown backwards on top of him.

When all the power burst stopped, Kite lowered his uplifted arm and his eyes widened. A lone form floated in the center of a crater in the floor. Her glowing eyes were no longer comforting, but ominous.

"Kite. The War rages and even the whole balance of the Universe has been thrown. An almost certain destruction looms over us all, for even a shadow can slay the Sun. Listen to what I have to say and store in your heart. The door to four souls must be opened while cold hearts turn to life. Do this before the rage of the world bathes the innocent in bloodshed. Without, no hope lies in your path. Seek them."

And it was over. The girl collapsed on the decimated floor, eyes closed. The mages dropped their mana shield and rushed to her side. A quick check confirmed she was unconscious. Several priests lifted her gently and carried her out of the room. That left four of them still standing there.

They turned slowly to face the two boys still collapsed in a heap on the floor. The oldest looking one of them, complete with a scarred face and fierce eyes, opened his mouth and spoke:

"And you are Kite?" The said boy nodded his head. "Well Kite, it seems you have a Quest to go on." He gave the young warrior a look-over. "You seem mighty young to hold the fate of the entire Universe on your shoulders. Are you ready? Or should the question state, can you do it?" The last few words dripped with contempt.

Kite 's face flushed with anger. "THE HELL YOU KNOW ABOUT ME! YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER LEFT YOUR COZY LITTLE NEST HERE IN ELLINIA! NOT WILLING TO FIGHT IN THE WAR, NOT WILLING TO DEFEND THE WORLD YOU LIVE IN. WELL GUESS WHAT? THE FIRST WARRIOR THAT COMES IN HERE JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE A FAT OLD PROPHECY DUMPED RIGHT ON HIM. AND YOU INSULT HIM. DAMMIT, DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS?!?! I..."

A tug on his shirt interrupted his tirade. "Kite..., let's just go." Kite swallowed his angry words and nodded. Casting one last glare at the shocked and aggravated priest, he gathered his pack and swept out.


End file.
